Northern Ireland v San Marino predictions, betting odds and tips: Minnows can limit the damage

Where to watch Northern Ireland v San Marino

Viaplay Sports 1, 2pm Saturday

Best bet

Under 4.5 goals
1pt 5-6 bet365

Northern Ireland v San Marino odds

Northern Ireland 1-40
San Marino 25-1
Draw 100-1

Odds correct at time of publishing

Northern Ireland v San Marino team news

Northern Ireland
Midfielder Ali McCann (calf) has joined Conor Bradley, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans, Shane Ferguson an Steven Davis on the sidelines.

San Marino
San Marino's 23-man squad includes 41-year-old six-cap defender Roberto Di Maio, who set a new record earlier this year as the oldest debutant in international football.

Northern Ireland v San Marino predictions

San Marino are comfortably the worst international team among Uefa members but they can avoid a complete hammering when they head to Windsor Park to take on Northern Ireland on Saturday afternoon.

Damage limitation is a constant challenge for San Marino, who are bottom of Group H with no points and no goals from six matches.

The Sammarinese have lost 81 of 82 European Championship qualifiers and haven't scored in a competitive away match since a 5-1 loss at Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier in September 2017.

It is highly likely they will fail to score against Northern Ireland, too, so punters need to focus on how many goals they are likely to concede.

Northern Ireland picked up their only points of the campaign when winning 2-0 at San Marino in March, and they would hope to do a bit better on home soil.

However, the Green and White Army have not scored more than three goals in a match in 20 attempts and they last scored more than four way back in November 1995, when they completed a failed Euro 1996 qualifying campaign with a 5-3 success at home to Austria.

Josh Magennis is the top scorer in the Northern Ireland squad with ten goals in 73 matches and their general lack of firepower should assist San Marino's efforts in keeping the score respectable.

Qualification for Euro 2024 is effectively out of reach for Northern Ireland but manager Michael O'Neill will be hoping for some glimpses of progression in their final four qualifiers.

They will almost certainly warm up for Tuesday's match against group leaders Slovenia with a win, but a goal glut looks far from certain and it may be worthwhile backing under 4.5 match goals at a shade of odds-on.

Key stat

Fifteen of San Marino's last 16 matches have featured no more than four goals.

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